and tried to draw her into the conversation, but Flip sat there shyly, afraid that if she spoke she would say the wrong thing and someone would laugh at her. One of the girls was missing salt and pepper from her package, and Flip offered hers. At the careless “Thanks, Pill,” Madame Perceval looked at Flip intently, not missing the quick flush that always came to her face at the use of the nickname.
After they had finished eating they started to climb again. Now the way became rockier and steeper, and Flip and several of the less athletic girls were panting and ready to flop down on the turf long before they reached the flat plateau of the Col. Flip’s throat was dry and aching and her heart thumped painfully against her ribs.
But when they finally reached the summit, she realized that the climb was more than worth it. She dropped onto a patch of rust-colored grass; the sky was incredibly blue above her and the Dent de Jaman rose out of the Col like a white castle, like the home of the snow queen in Andersen’s fairy tale. A small wind blew across her hot cheeks and the ache in her knee dwindled and the sunlight made the old, rusty grass seem almost golden. She closed her eyes and the sunlight flickered over her eyelids and the grass pricked through her uniform into her skin and she rolled over and laid her cheekagainst a flat grey rock and somewhere, far off, she heard a bird singing.
Although it was not anywhere near tea time according to the school clock, they had eaten lunch shortly after eleven and Madame Perceval and Fräulein Hauser started handing around packets of marmalade sandwiches. At the sound of the whistle Flip rose and straggled over to the girls surrounding the teachers. She stood on the outskirts, still looking about her at the sky and the mountains and the snow, and feeling that wonderful surge of happiness at the beauty that always banished any loneliness or misery she might be feeling. Somehow a miscount had been made in the school kitchen when the tea was packed and Solvei and Jackie, and of course Flip, the last one on the outskirts, found themselves without anything to eat for tea. A small chalet stood across the ridge and Madame Perceval said, “I know Monsieur and Madame Rasmée. They’re used to serving meals to amateur mountain climbers and I know they could take care of these girls. Suppose I take them over.”
“It seems the only thing to do,” Fräulein Hauser agreed.
So Flip found herself walking across the rough ground with Madame Perceval, Solvei, and Jackie, her pleasure in this unusual adventure marred by her awareness of the longing glances Jackie cast at Erna, and Solvei at her best friend, Maggie Campbell.
Madame Perceval said a few words to the pleasant woman who met them at the chalet and in a few minutes the girls found themselves sitting at a small table in front of an open fire. They stripped off their blazers.
“All right, girls,” Madame Perceval said. “Have a good tea and come back as soon as you’ve finished.”
“Oh, yes, Madame.” They smiled at her radiantly as she left them. Only Madame Perceval would have allowed them to enjoy this special treat unchaperoned.
“I wish Percy taught skiing instead of Hauser,” sighed Jackie. “She’s much better.”
Solvei nodded. “Once, last winter when Hauser had the flu, Percy took skiing and it was wonderful.”
“She’s always one of the judges at the ski meet,” Jackie continued, “and then there’s Hauser, and the skiing teacher from one of the other schools, and two professional skiers. It’s wonderful fun, Pill. There aren’t any classes, like today, and we all go up to Gstaad for the meet and have lunch up there and there are medals and a cup and it’s all simply
magnifique
.”
Flip thought of the skis Eunice had given her and somehow she felt that she might be good at skiing. And she was happy, too, because suddenly Jackie and Solvei seemed to be talking to her, not at her and around her,
After they had finished eating they started to climb again. Now the way became rockier and steeper, and Flip and several of the less athletic girls were panting and ready to flop down on the turf long before they reached the flat plateau of the Col. Flip’s throat was dry and aching and her heart thumped painfully against her ribs.
But when they finally reached the summit, she realized that the climb was more than worth it. She dropped onto a patch of rust-colored grass; the sky was incredibly blue above her and the Dent de Jaman rose out of the Col like a white castle, like the home of the snow queen in Andersen’s fairy tale. A small wind blew across her hot cheeks and the ache in her knee dwindled and the sunlight made the old, rusty grass seem almost golden. She closed her eyes and the sunlight flickered over her eyelids and the grass pricked through her uniform into her skin and she rolled over and laid her cheekagainst a flat grey rock and somewhere, far off, she heard a bird singing.
Although it was not anywhere near tea time according to the school clock, they had eaten lunch shortly after eleven and Madame Perceval and Fräulein Hauser started handing around packets of marmalade sandwiches. At the sound of the whistle Flip rose and straggled over to the girls surrounding the teachers. She stood on the outskirts, still looking about her at the sky and the mountains and the snow, and feeling that wonderful surge of happiness at the beauty that always banished any loneliness or misery she might be feeling. Somehow a miscount had been made in the school kitchen when the tea was packed and Solvei and Jackie, and of course Flip, the last one on the outskirts, found themselves without anything to eat for tea. A small chalet stood across the ridge and Madame Perceval said, “I know Monsieur and Madame Rasmée. They’re used to serving meals to amateur mountain climbers and I know they could take care of these girls. Suppose I take them over.”
“It seems the only thing to do,” Fräulein Hauser agreed.
So Flip found herself walking across the rough ground with Madame Perceval, Solvei, and Jackie, her pleasure in this unusual adventure marred by her awareness of the longing glances Jackie cast at Erna, and Solvei at her best friend, Maggie Campbell.
Madame Perceval said a few words to the pleasant woman who met them at the chalet and in a few minutes the girls found themselves sitting at a small table in front of an open fire. They stripped off their blazers.
“All right, girls,” Madame Perceval said. “Have a good tea and come back as soon as you’ve finished.”
“Oh, yes, Madame.” They smiled at her radiantly as she left them. Only Madame Perceval would have allowed them to enjoy this special treat unchaperoned.
“I wish Percy taught skiing instead of Hauser,” sighed Jackie. “She’s much better.”
Solvei nodded. “Once, last winter when Hauser had the flu, Percy took skiing and it was wonderful.”
“She’s always one of the judges at the ski meet,” Jackie continued, “and then there’s Hauser, and the skiing teacher from one of the other schools, and two professional skiers. It’s wonderful fun, Pill. There aren’t any classes, like today, and we all go up to Gstaad for the meet and have lunch up there and there are medals and a cup and it’s all simply
magnifique
.”
Flip thought of the skis Eunice had given her and somehow she felt that she might be good at skiing. And she was happy, too, because suddenly Jackie and Solvei seemed to be talking to her, not at her and around her,
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